


Astrology or Astronomy: Epilogue

by Holycowbrowniekitty



Series: Libra and Sagittarius [2]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 05:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11960337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holycowbrowniekitty/pseuds/Holycowbrowniekitty
Summary: An alternate time-line for what could have happened.





	Astrology or Astronomy: Epilogue

“That’s it?” a small voice said. “No love on first sight or romantic crushes? Just like that?”

“I thought they called you the Romeo of Chiba, pops. I expected more...interesting things to have happened,” a more mature voice stated. 

Saeki leaned back in his chair and glared at the three children in front of him. Two girls, one boy, the youngest being the most excited and interested in Saeki’s escapades.

“You really sucked at tennis huh?”, the boy continued.

“I did, but pops two did as well, so I guess it was some kind of fate that we met that day. Besides, if we were any good at it, you guys wouldn’t exist,” Saeki answered.

The boy grimaced, but his little sister was intrigued. It was the first time she got to hear such convoluted love stories.

“But his predictions were right, weren’t they! I mean, you may have white hair now, but underneath all of it, it’s secretly brown. You guys were destined to be lovers!”

“See,” he rubbed the little one on her head, “she get’s it.”

The boy wanted to make a rude remark about their idiotic beliefs, but decided against it. Saeki took their silence as an approval to continue his story. He went on in detail about the time he first went over to Sengoku’s house, the eyebrow accident and Sengoku’s awkward flirting with his sister.

“I would have totally gone for the sister,” the boy said. He was already entering high school and his hormones were flaring up. How fast the times go.

“Ahaha, well,” Saeki chuckled “she was quite the looker I admit. But Kiyosumin would have none of it I’m afraid. He even told me, and I quote “I don’t appreciate you flirting with my sister, freak!”,” Saeki said. “In the end, she was okay with me stealing her little brother away. I remember the tears welling up in her eyes when we announced our relationship."

“You’re lying pops, pops two told us that she was glad that he got off the streets. She saw it coming from a mile away and was making fun of him all the time.”

“Yeah, and we trust pops two more. After all, he was an accountant,” the son joined in.

“Hey, you guys weren’t there, were you?” Saeki huffed. “It may have looked obvious to everyone, but it wasn’t to us, for a while at least.”

“Then, when did you guys finally, you know...get the butterflies?”, the little kid wondered.

“You’re throwing a hard one there, kid,” Saeki said. “I think it must’ve been when he confessed to me on the hilltop.”

“But didn’t you say that you started developing the butterflies,” the little kid said, “around the time when you failed your playdate?”

Saeki tried to recount the events that happened back then, he could remember something with two girls, although their faces were blank and vague. He knew something had happened to his face, no, maybe his hair, but it was a blur. As the kids were waiting in anticipation, he decided to elaborate on some conversations they had, finishing the story with when he first met Sengoku’s parents. Those moments put a lasting impression on him.

“I would not date you if I were a girl. Seems like a solid flirting going on pops,” the boy said.

“But isn’t it even more romantic that they still got together after all those stupid fights and stuff?”

“It was  an innocent question. I didn’t mean for it to be taken as flirting,” Saeki defended. “If anything, it was Kiyosumin that was bothered that day.”

“I don’t believe that you remembered all of that exactly,” the boy continued. “Pops two was probably still in his closet and it turned to be all awkward. The date I mean.”

“It couldn’t be helped,” Saeki said. “Back then, it was still very uncommon for people to admit to their...preferences.”

“And his preference was you?” the little kid asked with eyes as big as teacups.

“You like who you like,” the older sister said. “It just so happened that it took a bit longer for those two.”

“Oh, I see,” the girl said.

Saeki continued talking about the day in particular. He rambled about how soft Sengoku’s hair felt and how he remembered the touch of his smooth skin. The other male in the room was about to barf, but was interjected when the little girl exclaimed something.

“Guys, I really gotta pee,” the youngest claimed. “But I don’t want to miss anything of the story pops is telling us.”

“Gross, go to the toilet,” the boy retaliated.

Saeki smiled. “I promise I won’t tell anything about Kiyosumin when you’re away.”

The girl scurried to her feet and ran towards the bathroom. Saeki looked at the clock and sighed. Dinner would soon be made and he’d be forced to quit sharing about the past, something he really loved. He was happy and relieved that at least one member of his audience was interested in his stories.

“Back in the days Kiyosumin had really nice forearm muscles. I could stare at them forever. I think you might have inherited them,” Saeki joked as he poked the boy.

“H-how gay were you guys?” the boy stuttered. “It’s impossible for any of us to have inherited something from you, you know.”

“You definitely inherited your personality from Kiyosumin,” Saeki teased.

“That’s gross pops.”

“Can you stop being so rude bro?” his older sister reprimanded him. “He’s trying to tell a story here. This is your ancestry.”

The boy huffed and summoned his phone. Even the nagging from his sister didn’t get through him as he threw himself in the couch, taking the absent sister’s spot.

“Please do continue, pops,” the eldest said. “He hasn’t kissed a single girl yet.”

“How would you know!?”

“Well, before I got with Kiyosumin, I kissed a girl, but afterwards she slapped me. It wasn’t very nice of her,” Saeki interjected. First experiences always stuck with him in some way, and unfortunately, this one did stay a bit longer than expected. 

“She sounds like a bitch,” the boy said, “this is why I don’t do girls.”

“So you do boys?” his sister asked.

“Ew, gross!” he said before turning away to hide his disgust.

Saeki smiled at the oh so familiar behaviour he was displaying. Too bad he hadn’t inherited the fortune addiction, although that might have been for the best.

“Guys, you promised you wouldn’t talk about pops two while I was away!” the little girl yelled, running towards Saeki to lean her head on the armchair again.

“You missed nothing sis,” her brother reassured her. “Nothing you’d want to know anyways.”

“B-but you guys were talking!” she yelled frantically. “I could hear you guys from the room!”

“Don’t worry about that, look, he was just about to tell us the story of his bracelet, weren’t you, pops?” the older sister suggested. She gave him a hopeful look.

“Ah, yes, this old thing here huh?” Saeki said as he showed them his wrist. “It was a present from Kiyosumin. I got used to wearing it a lot, so it has frayed a bit I’m afraid.”

“So, wha-”

The excited question from the young girl was interrupted by the sound of familiar footsteps on the front porch.

“Mom’s home.” the older sister said. “Well, I’ll be off helping her unpack the groceries.”

“Food...finally,” the boy said as he rolled flat on his stomach. 

“Pops! Don’t get distracted! I want to know how you got that bracelet!” the little girl yelled, shaking Saeki from his momentary gaze. His eyes had glassed over for a second, as the nostalgia from the sounds still hit him deep.

“Ah, right, sure,” Saeki composed himself. “One day, when we were still stupid kids, we made a promise, and this,” Saeki pointed at his bracelet, “is our promise bracelet.”

“Dad, you’re not making up stories for the kids again, are you?” a womanly voice called out to him. She had closed the door behind her, and her face was covered by the cans of urchins.

“Nothing like that, dear.” Saeki said. “I’m always honest, am I not?”

“Yeah, yeah, you old fart. You’re too honest for your own sake,” she mumbled.

“Mom! Pops was telling me about his bracelet!”

“Sorry for interrupting your talk dear,” she huffed as she threw a can of urchin at Saeki, which he deptly caught with his left hand. At least his reflexes and vision didn’t detoriate over the years. He was considered an anomaly.

“Ah, where were we?” Saeki trailed off. “Right! So, about pops two…”

Saeki gulped, but the younger kid didn’t notice.

“He’s up there,” Saeki said, pointing at the ceiling.

“Huh? Is he in the attic?” the little kid asked him.

“No, no, he’s way up there, in the big blue sky,” Saeki continued.  “We made a promise, that once one of us got there, they would do their best to collect as many stars as they could, so that we can finally hang out with the constellations! I’m thinking of going there as well.”

“Really!?” she yelled out, “I want to hang out with the co-constethings as well!” she scrambled, trying to find the right words. She had seen it before, they were all kinds of funny animals that lived in the galaxy.

“I think you’re a bit too young for that,” Saeki said. “At least, wait a bit before you join us.”

“B-but...I want to come with you. I want to see pops two again,” the girl mumbled under her breath. 

“You can join me in ah, hundred years. I promise that,” Saeki said gently.

“But I’ll be an old lady! I can’t help you when I am super old and slow, I mean, the stars are super fast. I should know, because I saw one falling from the sky once!” she continued.

“Ah, c’mon now, I’ll bet you that pops two still hasn’t caught any of them either. When I go to help him, you won’t have to worry, because as soon as you arrive, we will have all of them in a giant constellation zoo!” Saeki cheered. “Aren’t zoos fun!”

“Well, I guess. But they aren’t free,” the girl pouted.

“You shouldn’t let them go free. That’s dangerous!” Saeki yelled.

Three collective sighs could be heard from the kitchen. “Just come eat already and don’t listen to his nonsense!”, his daughter yelled.

Saeki watched as the girl scurried away to the kitchen. He tried to lift himself up, but promptly fell back down when he felt his back give out. When did he become that old? Having no energy left to immediately retry, he started fumbling with the frayed golden stitches of his leather bracelet. Sengoku must have really taken care of it throughout the years. He felt a bit guilty that in his care, the bracelet had lost its shine and even the leather had been reduced to bare skin.

The arrow had been chipped off, the tail was barely recognizable, but Saeki would always be able to recognize the formation of his most precious constellation. He turned it a bit more, and thought about that late August summer, sixty years back, and tried to recreate the sky as it was back then.

 

_ I hope you’re having fun Kiyosumin. Please wait for me. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
